As crazy as it sounds, consumer Internet access is headed for a gigabit context, based on 5G standards everywhere, and advances in fixed network access in many countries. Over a decade or so, multi-gigabit speeds will become the context.
Current development work, historical precedent and competitive markets already suggest that multi-gigabit speeds up to 10 Gbps already are on the standards agenda and product road maps for both fixed and wireless networks.
At a time when consumers actually do not have access to applications that require a gigabit, much less 10 Gbps, that might seem an example of pure marketing hyperbole.
What might be shocking is that history suggests 10 Gbps is precisely where we should expect bandwidth to go.
Basically, since the time of dial-up access, we have seen linear increases in bandwidth that very much resemble Moore’s Law. Indeed, some even argue that Internet access bandwidth, in terms of the top marketed speeds for consumers, have increased precisely as Moore’s Law would suggest computing power grows.
What will likely come as a bigger surprise is the improvements we will see with 5G and future mobile generations, where mobile or fixed wireless speeds will reach gigabit ranges (one Gbps up to 10 Gbps) as part of the standards.
